Cost of Attendance

Each year the Law School sets a cost of attendance for our degree programs. The cost of attendance includes University charges such as tuition and fees that are directly billed to a student on their University student account as well as estimated expenses a student may incur for living expenses (i.e. housing and food), books and supplies, transportation, personal/miscellaneous expenses, and loan fees. The cost of attendance is used by the Law School to determine a student's financial aid eligibility but an individual student's actual budget will vary from this standard cost of attendance depending upon individual taste and circumstances. 

The entering 1L JD cost of attendance listed below is for the nine months of the 2026-2027 academic year (Autumn 2026, Winter 2027, and Spring 2027 quarters). All expenses and allowances outlined below are allocated over all three quarters, with the exception of the Lifetime Transcript Fee, which is assessed in the first quarter of a graduate student's first year at the University of Chicago.

Figures for the 2027-2028 academic year should be available in late spring 2027.

For a complete schedule of the University’s tuition and fee charges, as well as the refund policy, please consult the Bursar’s Office Tuition and Fees website. For more information on the cost of attendance for the 2L and 3L years, or for the cost of attendance for other programs (including 3-Year JD/MBA and LLM), visit the Financial Aid Office's Cost of Attendance website.

* This allowance includes the University’s health insurance plan premium (U-SHIP). All students are required to have acceptable medical insurance coverage and students can waive the University's plan if they provide evidence of comparable coverage under their own plan. Students who do not waive U-SHIP will have the U-SHIP premiums billed on their tuition account.

** Estimated loan fees (for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan borrowers only). More information about federal student loan interest rates and loan fees can be found on the Federal Student Aid website. Student loan fees will be removed from the cost of attendance for students borrowing only private student loans.

Law students may request an increase to their cost of attendance for the purchase of a computer or laptop. The maximum increase available is $1,500 or the documented cost of the purchase, whichever is less. Some students may also have additional expenses not included in the standard cost of attendance that may qualify for a cost of attendance appeal. Examples of such additional expenses include medical expenses not covered by insurance or childcare/dependent daycare expenses.